Female doctor arrested for trafficking sedative drugs at police flat in Bangkok

The Star

2 days ago

BANGKOK: A female doctor at Police General Hospital has been arrested for allegedly ordering and trafficking sedative drugs for illicit purposes.
Thanakrit Chitareerat, an assistant to the Public Health Minister, led officials from various agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, on a raid at a police flat in Bangkok's Phaya Thai district on Tuesday (June 10) morning.
The raid followed an FDA report that revealed suspicious activities regarding the ordering of alprazolam, also known as a sedative or date-rape drug, which is classified as a controlled substance under categories 2 and 4. These drugs are only allowed to be prescribed by licensed medical professionals.
So far, two individuals have been detained: a female Police Colonel who is a doctor at Police General Hospital and a Thai man responsible for managing a room at the police flat. Authorities have seized more than 10 boxes of sedative drugs, stored in large cartons.
Thanakrit explained that the arrested female doctor was the sole purchaser of the sedatives, which she ordered from the FDA using the names of 11 clinics located in Bangkok.
These clinics were used to facilitate the illicit orders. The drugs were then stored in a room at the police flat and sold to buyers, primarily young people, who often used them for illicit purposes.
An investigation has revealed that the female doctor placed orders for the drugs from the FDA between 2022 and 2025, amounting to a total of 15 million baht. The FDA became suspicious and, after discussions with the police, conducted a financial investigation.
It was found that the drugs were ordered under the guise of 11 clinics, with a significant amount of money—up to 80 million baht—being circulated.
The drugs discovered at the flat are classified as controlled substances under categories 2 and 4, regulated by the FDA. Improper use of these drugs poses a serious threat to society, Thanakrit warned.
- Photo: The Nation/ANN
Withid Sariddeechaikool, the deputy secretary-general of the FDA, further explained that these drugs must be prescribed by licensed medical professionals and used in healthcare facilities. The FDA is able to trace the drugs from their purchase to the patients they were prescribed to.
Pol Gen Suchart Teerasawat, former Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and vice-chairman of the Ministry of Public Health's drug suppression task force, stated that authorities had gathered evidence showing that these illegal transactions took place outside the regulated system. The drugs were being sold by outsiders who had been living in the government accommodation.
Additionally, forensic evidence, including DNA traces from those who had come into contact with the drugs and transaction records from the FDA, provides a solid case for prosecution.
Suchart added that the arrested female doctor would face both disciplinary and criminal charges for permitting outsiders to stay in the government accommodation and for the illegal possession and distribution of controlled substances, which carry penalties equivalent to those for narcotics.
She will also face charges of money laundering, and authorities will seize assets linked to the crimes, he said, adding that the Medical Council will be asked to consider revoking her medical licence.
Suchart also noted that the 11 clinics involved are owned by different individuals, and further investigations are underway to determine if other medical staff, such as doctors or nurses, were complicit in the operation.
A raid on all the clinics will take place tomorrow (June 11), and a press conference will be held to provide further details. - The Nation/ANN